Hamas says it has returned all recoverable hostage bodies; Israel warns of renewed war

Hamas announced on Wednesday (15 Oct) that it had handed over all the bodies of Israeli hostages that could be recovered without the use of additional equipment, saying it had fully complied with the terms of the US-backed ceasefire agreement.

In an official statement, the group said it had delivered all surviving hostages as well as the remains of those found so far.

“We have handed over all the individuals in our custody, both living and deceased, as far as we were able to find them,” Hamas said.

“However, to find the remaining bodies that are still buried, we need special equipment and are doing our utmost to track them down,” the statement added.

The ceasefire agreement, signed on 8 October following international mediation efforts, required Hamas to release all hostages—alive or dead—totalling 48 people, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Hamas released 20 hostages alive on Monday (13 Oct) and handed over eight bodies in the following days. Israel confirmed that six of the bodies were Israelis, one was Nepalese, while the identity of the other remains unknown.

On 15 October, Hamas handed over two more coffins to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), bringing the total number of bodies transferred to 10.

A senior Hamas official said the group remains committed to fulfilling its obligation to return the bodies of hostages killed in Gaza, in line with the ceasefire proposal.

According to a senior US adviser, the recovery of bodies has been hampered by the extensive destruction across Gaza.

“The effort to remove bodies is extremely difficult because Gaza is devastated and requires specialised equipment,” said the adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We continue to hear from Hamas that they intend to honour the peace agreement and the ceasefire. They want to see the agreement fully implemented and no more attacks in Gaza,” the adviser added.

Meanwhile, Israel has returned the bodies of 120 Palestinians killed during the conflict.

In an update on 16 October, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said that the Red Cross had facilitated the transfer of 30 additional bodies to Gaza, as reported by the BBC.

Earlier, Israel had handed over two batches of 45 Palestinian bodies each, also killed during the fighting.

The ministry added that medical teams are working to examine the bodies and return them to their families.

Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to hand over the bodies of 15 Palestinians in exchange for every deceased Israeli hostage.

Israel Warns of Possible Resumption of Fighting

Following Hamas’s handover of two more deceased hostages, Israel’s Defence Minister, Israel Katz, warned on Wednesday (15 Oct) that fighting could resume if Hamas fails to uphold the terms of the ceasefire.

“If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war,” Katz’s office said.

Prior to this, Israeli authorities informed the United Nations that the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza could be reduced or delayed due to the limited number of deceased hostages handed over by Hamas, a UN spokesperson said on Tuesday (14 Oct).

Israel told the UN that it would only allow 300 trucks into the Gaza Strip—half of what the country had committed to as part of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Trump Open to Renewed Israeli Military Action if Hamas Breaks Truce

Speaking to CNN, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (15 Oct) that he would consider allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resume military action in Gaza if Hamas fails to honour the ceasefire deal.

He told CNN that Israeli forces could return to Gaza “as soon as I say the word.”

Last week, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a peace plan he introduced on 29 September to end the war in Gaza.

The deal included a ceasefire, the release of all Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

On 13 October, Trump and other leaders signed the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal in Egypt. The agreement followed a major exchange involving Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,900 Palestinians in Gaza, including at least 20,179 children, according to Gaza’s health authorities.